It’s unusual to use the word chic next to a description of crab cakes. The old-school dish doesn’t usually gain high marks for presentation. But the house crab cake at Seamark Seafood & Cocktails, the new restaurant at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett, is downright artful. The crab cakes arrive jauntily tipped on a bed of yellow sweet corn salad, surrounded by a circle of chartreuse avocado purée and dots of chipotle cream—an apt dish for the glamorous surroundings.
But what makes this dish special is the substance behind the style. The recipe has serious bona fides: It was adapted from the recipe of acclaimed Boston chef Michael Schlow’s grandmother, who is from Maryland (a state famous for those fried beauties). The dish seems like a magic act – it’s hard to tell how the fresh-shucked jumbo lump and back fin crab is held together, because the binder is nearly undetectable. All you taste is sweet crab with a bit of seasoning, lemon zest, and a touch of chipotle aioli for a subtle backdrop of citrus and heat.
The James Beard award–winning Schlow serves as chef/partner at the restaurant, marking his highly anticipated return to the Boston fine-dining scene in a big way. His touch is felt throughout the menu, which blends luxurious touches with classic seafood preparations.
Take the tuna tartare, for instance. An umami bomb of very, very finely minced raw tuna—nearly ground—mixed with house-made ponzu sauce (a Japanese staple combining citrus with soy sauce, sake, and mirin), and pushed to the next level with a dollop of white sturgeon caviar. Use the accompanying rounds of mini cucumber to create tiny mouthfuls combining all three.
As should be expected in a New England seafood restaurant, you could have lobster for every course (well, okay, maybe not dessert). Start with a lobster tostada appetizer, then follow it with a lobster bisque and a lobster roll, all made with freshly shucked lobster. The spaghetti fra diavolo also comes with a generous portion of freshly shucked meat, atop a bed of house-made spaghetti sauced with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onions, lobster stock, San Marzano tomatoes, basil, lemon zest, and heat from crushed red pepper that does not overpower the lobster.
For pure luxury, it’s hard to beat the Ora King salmon, with the fish cooked to silky perfection sitting atop a bed of luscious French lentils flavored with thyme, dotted with chunks of smoky bacon, and surrounded by the most indulgent spinach purée we’ve ever tried—verdant green and mixed, we’re guessing, with an obscene amount of butter. Landlubbers will be pleased with steaks, as well as the return of the Schlowburger, a beloved Boston institution that kicked off the city’s luxury burger craze at the now-closed Financial District restaurant Radius.
Desserts will change seasonally—a recent visit included dark chocolate cake, a thin layer of devil’s food cake topped with a chocolate mascarpone cream and encased like a glistening jewel in chocolate and crème brûlée, with a heavy cream-to-yolk ratio that makes it downright decadent—perhaps best shared with a friend.
Staff is happy to guide you through the extensive wine list, and the cocktail list, created by globetrotting mixologist Francesco Lafranconi, vice president of hospitality and culture of Carver Road Hospitality, the restaurant’s operator, headed up by Boston native Sean Christie, which runs well-regarded restaurants across the country.
As for the scene, the restaurant virtually vibrates with the energy of the casino, just steps away. Wide open to the hotel’s lobby on two sides, views include the hotel’s spectacular Ferris wheel and large art-deco arches hugging cozy booths that separate the main dining room from the bar. Beyond those arches lies another secret—Old Wives’ Tale, a jewel-box of a speakeasy accessed through a hidden door. Inquire with your server or at the bar for entry. You might just find Lafranconi, whose resume includes the original Hotel Cipriani in Venice, behind the bar, mixing up precise and complex cocktails made for lingering.
1 Broadway, Everett, seamarkencore.com